


Notice the Chemistry between Us

by childofhebe



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Fluff, Highschool AU, Highschool Troubles, M/M, Really just a shitton of Fluff, Romance, Tutoring
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-15
Updated: 2018-09-15
Packaged: 2019-07-12 16:00:05
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,859
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15998585
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/childofhebe/pseuds/childofhebe
Summary: Of science class troubles, noticeboards, and poodle puppies





	Notice the Chemistry between Us

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Adrianna99](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Adrianna99/gifts).



> I know, I know. The prompts didn't really agree with me. At all. So sorry. Not your fault. You probably expected something else. Plus, after my Irondad-SpiderSon summer, my YOI skills are a little rusty. 
> 
> But I hope you like it anyway <3 
> 
> Basically, a little fluff dose to lighten up your day :3

It was late after the last period, the school corridors slowly but steadily emptying, eager student chatter dying out more and more with every second.

The silver head sophomore stood in front of a huge cardboard school noticeboard in the almost empty lobby, a stylish backpack hung over his shoulder and a crumpled paper in his hand. Wait… Crumpled? Oh, right, he was gripping it so tight his knuckles turned white. Of course, the poor paper would crumble.

The noticeboard was half-empty, with plenty of space available for his paper, and yet he still hesitated, wordlessly staring at the noticeboard as if it caused all of his life problems, the inconspicuous frown spread across his pale, symmetric face.

After all the trouble he had gone through completely on his own to earn the highest scholarship possible and move into the foreign country, it was embarrassing to admit that he needed help with something this trivial. The few friends he obtained in those few weeks weren’t able to help him in the way he needed. For example, Mila, the tempered redhead he shared a locket row with, offered him to take him to the party when he described his communication problem to her. As if common chatter in drunken slurs with the people he barely knew could help - and parties like that weren’t exactly his image of productively spent time either. His problem was a little more severe than just a lack of socialization skills. 

Frankly, you’re barely concerned with the low numbers of your friends when you can’t understand a word that comes out of the mouth of your professor.

  


He let out a dragged, exhausted sigh, and slumped his shoulders in defeat when the responsible part of his mind finally won the fight. He had to swallow his pride this time, he knew that. Today, he was absolutely lost in the class again, and the mid-term exams were quickly approaching. However, the alarming amounts of desperation and inevitability didn’t make the decision any easier.

He took a deep breath, picked one of the free pins from the board (the pink one, he deserved to make up his mood a little), and pinned the crumpled paper into the free slot in between other tutoring requests. His request was brief, written by hand with a violet pen, and he drew little Erlenmeyer flasks around the text. The first thing he had learned in America? The aesthetic is incredibly important.

  


**Looking for: Sophomore science tutor**

**Quite urgent, would pay in food ;)**

**Telephone number: XXX-XXX-XXXX**

  


He didn’t write in his name, nor the deeper problematics that was bothering him about the whole subject, because he honestly didn’t need Chris or Mila finding it and making fun of him, not when he was still on good terms with them. Plus, anonymity gave him the confidence someone would actually answer his plea for help and take it as seriously as he would need them to.

He stared at the paper for a while, then he rashly turned and exited the lobby. There was no way back.

  


\---

  


He started to consider walking back to that noticeboard and just taking his pathetic request down the second he left the school, but he swallowed the bitter saliva and persisted. The anticipation was torturous. 

Eventually, his phone vibrated with a text from an unknown number. 

  


**Hello, I’d like to take your tutoring offer. Is it still free?**

  


Despite how until that moment every single fiber of his being hated the idea, he could feel his excitement rising upon actually receiving a response - a very sweetly polite one. He knew he could be sure about the seriousness of the matter now. It made him crack a smile as he typed an immediate answer. 

  


**Of course, it is free. How about we meet after the last period by the coffee machine to discuss further details?**

  


It took some time, and surprisingly, he could feel strange, unknown straining anxiety squeezing at his windpipe more and more with every second he had to wait. When the answer arrived, it was scandalously brief, but it did release all of the bad tension from him.

  


**Sounds good.**

  


\---

  


It still could be some kind of social experiment. Like his new, still, a little bit uncertain friends pranking him. Or really anyone else pranking him. It would be too easy of an opportunity - the new, naive, foreign kid walking straight into the bear trap. His theory had cracks - like the fact why would anyone do it? But his fellow classmates were weird, clearly had very different priorities than he had, and he didn’t want to take any chances.

  


Despite all of his doubts, he went to the vending machine. He was raised properly after all.

One heck of a surprise awaited him there.

  


The somehow familiar tuft of black hair, and huge brown eyes hidden behind blue-rimmed glasses. They definitely knew each other, he could judge it from the way his eyes widened. He coughed, pulled out one of his polite smiles and extended a hand towards the familiar, gorgeous man. “That must be why I remember him,” he thought smugly. “I very likely spotted him passing me on some corridor and I noticed his aesthetic looks.”

“Hi. I’m Viktor… You’re here for tutoring, right?” He introduced himself, his pranking theory abandoning the ship around three seconds ago. The man in front of him looked at his extended hand and hesitantly took it for a handshake.

“Yuuri… And yes, that would be me,” he cracked the softest of smiles, and upon witnessing it, some spark bled into Viktor’s own too.

The voice was familiar too… But why?

  


\---

  


Viktor simply couldn't grasp the strange familiarity he felt every time he looked Yuuri in the eye, until after few days.

  


Full of newly obtained confidence after few study meetups, he walked into the chemistry classroom, briefly grazing the semi-familiar faces of his classmates with his eyes, and halfway to his desk, he spotted him. It was unbelievable, why would Viktor not realize the fact before? Of course, Yuuri had to attend a class with him.

  


Viktor made a mental note to notice his surroundings more (he won’t hold onto it anyway, but at least he tried), and let a wide smile spread across his face. 

  


“Hey, Yuuri! Is the other seat free?”

  


It was probably for the best that he didn’t admit it out loud. If he ever would, Chris wouldn’t let him live it down. And Yuuri probably knew anyway, it was no secret that Yuuri was way more perceptive than Viktor.

  


\---

  


Yuuri Katsuki as his science tutor was everything Viktor expected, and possibly even more. He was patient enough to find multiple approaches for explaining the lectures to Viktor. In a way, they shared the problem - as Viktor later learned, Yuuri was an exchange student from Japan, and barely a half a year earlier he had an exact same problem as Viktor - slow comprehending of the specific English vocabulary. The quiet, quite shy Japanese must have a much harder time with getting help than Viktor - that knowledge made Viktor let go of his negative thoughts about tutoring almost immediately. Instead, the soft admiration and healthy curiosity grew.

  


(Or probably Yuuri didn’t need help at all, he was a scientific genius everyone at class had a hard time to keep up with. How Viktor failed to notice him before was completely beyond his mind.)

  


Although it took a lot to make shy Yuuri open up to Viktor beyond their professional relationship, Russian found himself putting a lot effort in.

  


“I know a great pizza place, want to join me tonight?”

  


\---

  


“So many puppies!” Viktor’s eyes lit up as he listed through Yuuri’s phone gallery, after his tutor let him look at some mnemonic aid pictures. 

  


“Oh, I- I can explain!”

  


“So adorable! Is this one yours? You know, I have a poodle too, they are simply the best! Tell me everything about them! Are they a boy or a girl? Mine’s girl, and a little bit bigger, and…”

  


“A boy, actually, toy poodle… Did you bring her with you to States?”

  


“Of course! I couldn’t leave her at home, she would be really sad without me… Actually, I would be pretty lost without her too!”

  


“To that, I can relate.”

  


Long story short, that moment marked the beginning of Completely Smitten Viktor.

  


\---

  


It was not a lot long after their first meeting that Viktor could tell that he liked his tutor really much. Yuuri's smile and the sparkles in his eyes that appeared whenever he smiled were truly adorable. He was easy to talk to about anything, and unlike Viktor's other, loud outgoing friends, Yuuri listened. They liked the same music, Yuuri’s food taste was remarkably similar to Viktor’s (every single one Japanese dish that Yuuri introduced to Viktor was simply perfect), and poodles. Oh, poodles.

It was easy to fall for Yuuri. Especially if your name was Viktor Nikiforov. No rocket science, you just see his smile and fall in a snap.

  


\---

  


After a long battle, he decided he’s had enough. He decided he needed to do something, or else he might combust. He decided that...he would ask.

  


“Chris… How do you ask a boy out?”

  


\---

  


“You know Yuuri… We’ve been spending a lot of time together… And I really liked it… So I would want to ask you…” Viktor rehearsed in front of a school restroom mirror. It felt like a dumb thing to do, but those words hardly escaped his throat. “Would you go on a date with me?”

He didn’t notice the figure standing behind the door, accidentally eavesdropping.

  


\---

  


Viktor couldn’t find Yuuri.

  


He knew for sure that he is at school because they greeted each other in the morning by the gate. But during the day, Yuuri wasn’t picking up his calls nor responding to his text messages. He was very worried.

  


To the end of his last period, a single message came.

  


**Meet me at the end of class by the noticeboard**

  


The message without any emojis, or explanation, or positive vibe.

Viktor wasn’t worried anymore. He was terrified.

  


\---

  


Viktor could see Yuuri from afar. 

His tutor and his crush (he could admit that now, right?) stood by the noticeboard and very clearly was pinning something on it. Viktor quickened his pace, calling out Yuuri’s name. He didn’t expect Yuuri’s reaction - he turned his head on Viktor, an unfamiliar smirk appeared on his lips (and damn, it left Viktor’s knees weak) and then he turned and walked away. 

  


“Wha-? Yuuri wait!” Viktor started to run, and so did Yuuri, quickly disappearing behind the corner. Viktor stopped by the noticeboard with his eyes fixed in Yuuri’s direction, partly confused, partly hurt.

  


The one glance on the noticeboard erased both the confusion and hurt.

  


Viktor blinked. He couldn’t believe. But, he could. Of course, Yuuri would do something like that. 

  


The crumpled paper, with a short string of words written with a violet pen, surrounded with little doodles of hearts and Erlenmeyer flasks.

  


**Looking for: The date partner**

**Preferably with name Viktor**

**Telephone number: XXX-XXX-XXXX**

  


And the number was Yuuri’s this time.

  


**Author's Note:**

> Kudos and comments are the only food I am able to digest (or afford, lmao), please feed this author


End file.
